


I found you on your side, weighed down

by GabrielVincent



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, fluff on a boat though, mild violence from Shaw because he hates everything everywhere, they're on a boat, this is slightly angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-21
Updated: 2011-07-21
Packaged: 2017-10-21 15:32:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/226745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GabrielVincent/pseuds/GabrielVincent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Azazel sees Shaw taking out his frustrations on Riptide. He can't just let it happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I found you on your side, weighed down

**Author's Note:**

> The amount of times I have sobbed over my headcanon for this pairing, dear god. Um. I like Shaw. I wanted to write him because he's great. One day I'm going to right shameless porn with him and Colonel Hans Landa from Inglourious Bastered. Think about it. Also, in the future, Emma ends up with the not-actually-dead Scott Summers and all is well and she is happy. So really it's all fine.

Only one gentle ripple disturbs the flat water when the boat rocks slightly, stirred by an undetectably warm breeze. The movement distorts the reflection staring up at Azazel and brings his consciousness to his thoughts, nudging them to create words at the front of his mind. _I'd forgotten what I looked like,_ he thinks, a small smile almost apparent as the water smooths out again. _Anyone would, if they had him looking at them like he's never seen anything as beautiful every day._ He hears sharp footsteps and turns to see Emma walking away from where she must have been watching him. _Listening, too,_ he supposes as he catches a glimpse of a tiny frown in her practised, blank visage.

It's then that the boat suddenly jerks, waves rolling off it and disturbing the calm that lies all around them. He hears a slam and sees Shaw through one of the small cabin windows, his fists clenched and that smile on his face that tells people that they should have given up a long time ago. On the other side of the room, Emma opens the door and stands at his side, staring serenely at something out of sight at the back of the room, her slender fingers posed carefully at her hips. Azazel appears behind them without a sound to hear nothing but a quiet gasp- Janos is what they are looking at, and he's collapsed against the wall at the back of the room, crumpled and exhausted and lying underneath a dent in the white metal panels. Shaw advances and Janos brings up a hand weakly, shooting a pathetic mass of wind towards him which Shaw catches easily, shooting back at the side of his head. There's no noise when he's hit, but the way he closes his eyes and curls over, trying to cover himself is as loud to Azazel as if he were screaming in agony. So he does what makes sense, he appears beside him and takes him away.

He can't go far, because if he did there would be consequences, so when Janos opens his eyes he is cradled in Azazel's arms on the warm roof of the boat. They hear heels click below them and Azazel lays him down gently, moving away in time for Shaw to appear at the top of the ladder.

"What did you do that for?" he says, his tone is easy as always but his expression is that almost-smile he has when he's about to do something terrible.

"I do not see how it is _logical_ for you to incapacitate our most powerful fighter at a time when we may have to fight any second," Azazel replies fiercely. He ignores the slight change in Emma's face as she arches one eyebrow.

"Oh, my dear Azazel. I wasn't _incapacitating_ him. We were merely _training._ " It's his politician voice. His diplomatic, polite, _completely transparent_ way of speaking when he feels like belittling someone.

"Training, were you? Hitting him whilst he was already unable to move? Is that training? To me it just seemed like you were-"

"-Working out frustrations? Why, yes. I suppose I was. I suppose there's really no excuse for my behaviour, we weren't training at all. I do apologise, my dear. I was simply at a loss. You do get terribly bored on this ship after a while..." He looks as though he can barely contain his smile. Emma smiles too, glancing sideways at him imperceptibly, then allowing her face to share that same satisfied expression. "And as for _incapacitating_ your friend here, well. I suppose I could stop that. There are always alternatives, are there not, Emma?" he turns to her and she tries not to look like it's all she's been waiting for all day.

"Of course, Sebastian. There are always alternatives."

"And I tend to pride myself -I do hope it's not _presumptious-_ but I do tend to pride myself on my imagination. On my...creativity, when it comes to thinking of such alternatives. For example," he approaches Janos who is still lying down, casting a shadow as he stands over him, "not all injuries will cause permanant damage-" he leans down beside him, strokes a hand gently over his face and through his hair before grabbing it hard and yanking his head back at an awkward angle, "-if caused..." he pulls slightly harder, waits patiently for Janos to wince in pain, "...correctly," he finishes, as Janos moves his arm only slightly, and the tiny hurricane is absorbed in Shaw's hand, ready behind his back. He looks up to where Emma is still standing. "Thank you, my darling. You are a true asset to this team, I hope I tell you often enough." Emma blushes prettily, smiles and looks away coquettishly.

Shaw raises his palm and brings it down across the cheek forcibly exposed by the way he has pulled Janos's hair. It is Azazel who gasps. Shaw pushes his fist of dark hair away from him so that the other side of his face is tilted up at him. He raises his hand again, but stops in mid-air. "I'm sorry, Emma, what did you say?"

"I said... _stop,_ Sebastian..." she breathes, looking almost scared, her gaze flicking from Azazel to Shaw rapidly. "That's...that's enough, I think."

As Shaw had looked away, Azazel had crouched over the man lying down, staring into his dark eyes that have started  to turn red. He reaches out a hand to cradle Janos's face as gently as he can manage, desperate to take him away but terrified of the repercussions. "Janos..." he mutters almost silently, before he can help it.

"Who the hell is Janos?" comes Shaw's abrupt voice, shaking the tiny moment of relief. Azazel turns to him furiously.

"You would know, Shaw, if you had kept your promises. If you kept us like you said you would. You said we were _safe_ with you. We had nowhere to go."

"And you _are_ safe my dear Azazel, you and Riptide here, both of you- safer with me than you ever will be with anyone else, at least-"

"You call this safe? You say that he's _safe_ after you torture him like that? You say he's safe even though he's afraid to speak aloud anymore?"

"I call it safer than the things a _human_ would do to you," Shaw hisses, all pretence of friendliness absent, all attempts at nonchalance gone, "and why do you care so much anyway, devil?"

"I _care_ because were I not able to escape I think you would do it to me, too," Azazel replies coldly.

There is quiet for a long time, both of them knowing that Azazel is entirely right and both of them knowing that whatever he is right about, there can be no true escape. The ship is stalemate.

It is Emma who breaks the silence. "Or perhaps he cares because he loves him," she says, softly, looking evenly into Azazel's eyes and wanting to relish the way his face falls and his eyes widen and his stance lowers and he looks defeated- but she can't, because of how bittersweet it is to say it.

Shaw doesn't look at her. He stares at Azazel, observes the way he sits back, one arm still curled protectively around Janos and the other crossed defensively over himself. "Well," he breathes icily, "who would have guessed. Azazel, the devil himself, after thousands of years of heartlessness, cruelty, debauchery and evil finds _love-"_ he spits the word out, making a face- "in a creature as pathetic as _this."_ And he pushes Janos roughly back to the floor and gets up and leaves them without another word. Emma follows like an obedient dog, wordlessly avoiding Azazel's gaze.

Janos slides himself up against Azazel's chest, breathing heavily as Azazel holds him posessively, covering him in every way he can, wanting to touch him with affection and warmth in enough places that it cancels out the harm Shaw has caused him.

"It is true, Janos," he says quietly, "it is because I love you." Janos reaches out a hand to find Azazel's and brings it carefully to his lips. He smiles, and although Azazel swears to himself that he'll one day have him talk again, a spoken response is not something he has ever felt in need of.


End file.
